


We Should Consider The End

by InsomniacCoffee



Series: Alternate Family AU [1]
Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: ASL, Alternate Family AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cause obvious reasons, Childhood Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Doctor Who and Weird Al References, F/M, Illustrations, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Milo Murphy’s Law but Dakota curses at least once, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PTSD, S1 and possibly S2 spoilers, Slow Burn, Some secondary characters are MCs here yay, endgame Dakavendish & Seal, in every chapter he’s in, selective mutism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-03-01 09:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18797713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsomniacCoffee/pseuds/InsomniacCoffee
Summary: Original Title: UntitledNewly recruited time agent Balthazar Cavendish ends up assigned to the 21st century alongside his partner Vinnie Dakota. What seemed like a normal night to them ended up with them discovering a house that seemed recently invaded. It would have been left to the authorities had they not found mysterious clues and two children amongst the mess; a toddler named Sara and a baby named Milo. It was obvious it was more than just a kidnapping so they decide to take care of the kids rather than give them up for foster care while they find their parents. It seemed like an easy open and shut mission.However, they’d soon learn quickly Murphy’s Law seemed to have other plans.One involving that 13 years would pass and they still haven’t found any clues what happened that night and they ended up raising the kids.Takes place over the course of Season 1. All art drawn in this fic is byDaCavendishTime





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I am incredibly nervous for writing a novel rather than one-shots but I have been working on this AU for so long I am excited to finally release it. 
> 
> I realize the AU of Cavendish and Dakota adopting Milo through circumstances exists but for some reason Sara is thrown under the bus??? I will fite for Sara honestly and I feel like Milo's family, especially Sara, are a core part of who he is so I don't think he'd be the same if he was raised _only_ by Cavendish and Dakota. (Because let's be real they're both messes). 
> 
> Really, I want to thank everyone I talked to for this happening, which is whoever commented in the post I made back in the MML Amino. And especially to [Specified Shipping Lover 13](https://specifiedshippinglover13.tumblr.com/) and [DaCavendishTime](http://aminoapps.com/p/oele7j) for taking time out of their day to read my fics beforehand and especially to DaCavendish time for being so sweet to draw fanart for every chapter. 
> 
> The title for the story is from The GazettE’s song [Untitled](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTxFnW7VWXs) where a fan translation is [here](https://www.jpopasia.com/thegazette/lyrics/65047/toxic/untitled/). It might not be accurate but I do enjoy the translation because at least one verse can fit a certain character.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2004, Danville.  
> Dakota and Cavendish's attempt at successfully completing a mission for once suddenly takes another turn.

_Why do I repeat myself again?_

* * *

 

 

“Are you serious, Dakota?!”

“Well yeah, do you realize how hard it is to get good quality sushi nowadays?” Dakota completely missed the mark on why Cavendish was upset and at this point, he shouldn't be surprised.

“But right now? After we completed a mission?"

“Come on, we deserve it! We successfully completed a mission for once so don’t you think that calls for some celebration?” Dakota looked over at him and flashed that all too familiar grin of his. The one where he knew he was right.

"You say waking up in the morning is a celebration for food. And breathing. And failing a mission."

"Those are good things to celebrate! Besides, this sushi place is the best one in town. The owners are really chill and everything there's pretty traditional. They even have authentic green tea." He sang the last part as if he knew those words would entice him; it was easy to pick up that Cavendish was fond of certain things. And to fit into his British upbringing stereotype, tea being one of them.

"Well..." Cavendish trailed off for a moment, already knowing he lost this battle (if it even was a battle, to begin with), "Alright. We do deserve some celebration for actually completing a mission."

That was music to Dakota's ears as he grinned even wider, "Finally, something we can agree on! Now, come on it’s just a couple of blocks from here.” His grin quickly faded when he no matter how many times he turned the key, the engine wouldn't start. He tried a few times to start the car when it happened to no avail.

"Dakota?" Cavendish asked finally after a few moments. Of course, he could tell that something was wrong if it wasn't for the sound of the engine dying and Dakota's increasing distressed look.

"I think we banged up the car with that mission. Engine's dead."

Cavendish didn't say anything. He leaned back against the seat of his car, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses as he wondered now what to do. He didn't yell as he knew it would lead to nothing. It was meant to be a quick mission so there were no sleeping arrangements for them. Not that Block ever actually arranged the sleeping arrangements himself but really the only indication they had of a mission being possibly long was getting the information about where to sleep.

To say he was getting terrified was an understatement. Getting stuck in the 21st century with no way out? His training had prepared him in case of situations like this of course...but actually being stuck in a time period is another thing. A terrifying another thing. He was only thankful that Dakota was a more experienced agent than him, “Now what do we do?”

Dakota was silent for a few moments before removing the key and shoving it in his pocket. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door, “we walk.” He stayed true to his word and began walking.

Cavendish processed what Dakota said and was doing before fumbling with the seatbelt and getting out of the car himself, “You still want sushi? After our car is dead?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“We should report it to the time bureau or something! They can send someone to help repair the car!”

Dakota shrugged as he pulled out his phone to check the time back home, “it’s already midnight and you know how Block is about calling so late. The car’s a piece of junk anyway; no one’ll rob it and we can solve it in the morning.”

Of course. Leaving the problems to the morning was something Cavendish should expect. But that didn't relieve any of his stress which turned into the only thing he knew to express his stress; anger, "How can you be so calm about this? You're acting like this isn't the first time this has happened!"

"That's because it is." He paused, "Well for me, at least. You'll get used to this after, like the second or third time, I promise."

Cavendish caught up with him, making sure to keep up with Dakota despite not even being a fast walker, "But-"

"Just relax. We'll get some sushi and find some motel to crash for the night. Just consider this is a well deserved night off." Dakota gave him a reassuring smile.

Cavendish almost wanted to believe him. It would be incredibly easy and understandable if he does so; Dakota was a time agent longer than him and most likely experienced more of the negative aspects of being a time agent. He knew what to do more than Cavendish, who was only just a time agent for about a month now. Everything old to Dakota is new and terrifying to Cavendish, which was probably one of the biggest highlights of how different they were as partners. Even if Dakota was such an arse at times, he did prove to be useful in situations like this. It wouldn't do any good to have two people freaking out, he supposed.

He said nothing after that and decided to try and think positively as they walked. Well, he was able to see what the houses and streets were like in the 21st century. The houses were just exactly like how he saw in vintage television; plain for its time but the architecture was admirable. Street and porch lights were the only things illuminating their path at this point when the moon was blocked by clouds but he never truly felt like he was in danger. The neighborhood did seem nice after all and they were probably lucky to be stuck in that part of the area.

He paused when he saw one house that seemed to be structured weirdly, causing him to pause and think back if he had ever seen those type of houses before, “Hey...does that house look off to you?”

“It’s the 2000s. Everything’s fuckin’ weird.” Dakota said without even letting a moment pass between them. He did pause to look at where Cavendish was looking and noticed that it did look odd. Even for the 2000s.

“Well yes, but I don’t think it’s a trend if it’s the only house on the block that’s like that.” He answered as he stared at the house. Windows were broken, the door looked damaged. and there was smoking coming out of places that weren't the chimney. Maybe it wasn't some trend but possibly...

“Do you think something happened?”  Dakota interrupted his thoughts. He looked around waiting for a police car or fire truck or anything to come to show that something did in fact happen but the street was quiet. It was almost as if the whole neighborhood slept through whatever happened.

"Maybe we should check?" Cavendish asked, looking at Dakota who seemed to think the same way as him. This seemed to be something completely new to Dakota, which did make him feel all the more unnerved now.

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to make sure that they're alright or something." He answered as they walked to the front steps. Upon closer inspection, it really did look like something had happened. There were mysterious claw marks on the door as if someone was trying to enter without breaking the door. The doorbell looked completely busted with its wires open so Dakota chose the knocking on the door option. The option seemed just as useless (or helpful) because almost immediately the door fell down with a loud thud. They had expected for the neighbors to wake up from just how loud the noise was but there was still silence. How odd.

"I guess we should go in and check," Cavendish answered as he carefully walked over the door. It shifted and creaked under their weights which felt like it would just break apart anytime soon.

They didn’t turn on the lights as the light from outside helped illuminate the area somewhat. From what they could see, it wasn’t nice.

“Hello? We’re just checking in if you’re okay?” Dakota called out only to receive silence in response.

Broken glass and furniture were scattered everywhere along with even parts of the ceiling being caved in. If it wasn’t for the furniture looking modern for the time, they would’ve thought it was some old abandoned house.

The two stayed by together as they walked around the house, trying to find out what happened. If it was a home invasion, the criminals surely would’ve gotten to them by then. Or most likely they were experiencing the aftermath of one and it certainly wasn't a pleasant thought to have.

There were some scary things they found in the house in the few minutes they looked around. They found kitchen knives that were covered in both blood and a rather strange substance. Both the blood and the liquid were smeared against the wall of the living room as if the owner(or owners) of it were shoved against the wall. It was disturbing, to say the least, and only told a vague story of what possibly may have happened.

The living room must’ve been where it all began considering how it seemed to have taken the most damage. A toppled bookcase, broken coffee table, broken windows and even part of the couch looked like it was on fire from how burnt one side looked and the smell of burnt furniture was still lingering.

Their eyes have gotten used to the little light the house and night provided so they didn’t need to use their night vision goggles or flashlights to see the apparent damage.  

Dakota wasn't the first to notice the scattered books and picture frames but he was the first to actually touch them. Cavendish whispered something Dakota didn’t catch as he simply picked up a random book that was nearest to him.

_A Little Princess._

He never read the novel so he didn’t know why the owners of the house chose that book. He set the book down and continued walking a bit further until he saw a photo frame, face down. He picked it up and almost immediately glass fell as if it turned back to sand. He shook off the remaining glass before inspecting the photo.

He saw that it was nothing more than a family photo. A man and a woman (probably the parents) with a little girl holding a baby. If he had seen the photo under different circumstances, he would’ve labeled it as cute and moved on. However, the circumstances of seeing the photo were anything but normal which already made him feel like he was going to be sick from the increasing feeling of anxiety.

He didn’t set the frame down and instead took it with him to show to Cavendish. He didn’t need to say anything about it to express the same discomfort. The silence was inevitable for a good moment before Cavendish spoke again, his voice quiet, “We should call the police, Dakota. This is something out of our hands.”

Dakota agreed, or partially. It only took one look at the red and green stained walls to disagree, “This doesn’t feel like something police would be able to help with...”

“What are you talking about? This is nothing more than some kidnapping or...” He trailed off once he heard something, momentarily pausing.

Dakota heard it too, looking around for the source before he saw that it could be upstairs. And if anything, it was the sound of a baby crying.

The two looked at each other for a few brief moments. Even though they only had one thing on their minds, their faces showed different emotions. They had no time to comment on that as they quickly ran up the creaking and breaking stairs. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, the stairs completely caved in, trapping them up in the second floor.

They didn’t think about that for long and continued running towards where the source of the sound was coming from. They found a room with the door scratched up but otherwise fine. The door was ajar which made it easy to pinpoint where the sound was exactly coming from.

Cavendish pushed the door open gently and knew he shouldn’t be surprised by what’s he seen. But he’s still surprised anyway.

They found the baby’s room a mess. Shattered photos, mysterious claw marks on the walls, disorganized shelves, and baby supplies were thrown all over the place. The crying was more apparent it was coming from the room but it was hard to tell where exactly.

“Oh, Christ Cav....” It was all Dakota could say. There was an undeniable churning in his stomach at the possibility something awful may have happened to that poor kid. They were still crying so it was a good sign but if they don’t find them sooner then...

He brushed off those thoughts and focused on the situation. They didn’t need to say another word before searching around the room.

Thankfully it didn’t take long because the baby never stopped crying. They found the source from the fallen crib which had its blankets, mattress, and pillows scattered all over the floor. They quickly tossed away what they could find until they could find the baby outside of the crib, covered in a thin blanket and thankfully laying on the mattress and pillow.

They both could feel like someone just decided to take the air out of their lungs for those few seconds as they stared at the crying infant with obviously no clue on how they ended up in a situation like this.

Dakota knew Cavendish seemed too terrified to hold them so he approached the baby closer. He had taken First Aid of course as it was a mandatory course for time agents but given how long it’s been, he’s almost forgotten about it. Luckily as he tried to remember some of what he learned, he managed to remember nearly all of it. He saw that the baby was flailing its arms and legs which was a good sign.

Cavendish couldn’t really look to see if the baby was injured or not so he took the time to look around the room and gather more information. An unfinished baby album labeled ‘Milo’ helped tell that the baby was a boy and the contents of the album stopped at 4 months old. He had managed to piece together that the baby was a 4-month-old boy named Milo. 

He went back to Dakota once he figured he gathered relevant information. He was holding him now, trying to get him to calm down, “Is he injured?”

“Nope.” Dakota answered finally, hearing a sigh of relief from Cavendish, “Just seems scared, is all...can you find anything to calm him down?"

"Of course," Cavendish answered as he looked around for something that could help. He tried opening one of the drawers only for it to actually seem to collapse in on itself. It was rather odd considering how the drawer seemed like one of the few that wasn't damaged. With a sigh, he got on his knees and began looking through the rubble that was the drawer for anything that could be used. He did find a box of pacifiers that were thankfully undamaged and handed one of them to Dakota.

"Thanks." He answered as he now was attempting to put the pacifier in his mouth. The baby had squirmed against him which became a small battle until Dakota managed to win and put the pacifier in his mouth, his crying now completely ceased. Now that the baby stopped crying, it finally gave Dakota a few moments to actually let things sink in; something terrible happened. It seemed like everyone but the baby was taken...or dead. They haven't even scoped out the whole second floor yet so who knows what they would find?"...Should we try and look at the other rooms?"

Cavendish swallowed thickly, looking at the baby who he supposed should be called Milo, "I don't think it's safe with Milo."

"Is that his name?"

He nodded, "Yeah, there was an album I found that had his name...but do you remember the little girl in the pictures? Do you suppose she could still be here?"

Dakota knew who he meant and thought for a few moments. It was dangerous to explore the place with a baby but it would be even more so if it turns out the girl was hiding somewhere. If she was stuck on the second floor, there would be no way for her to get down considering the staircase caved in and even he didn't know how they would be able to get down, "...I think we should see if she's here then. You have the gun right?"

He reached into his jacket pocket pulling it out. It wasn't one meant for killing people and worked more like a taser gun than anything except it was able to knock opponents out for hours at a time. Enough to buy time if needed, "Yes, you have yours too, right?"

"Yeah. You should go on and look for her. I think it's safer if I stay here." He answered. He admittedly wasn't sure if this was even safer but if there was any danger, Dakota wouldn't be able to fight and it could cause a mess. Aside from the mess, the room was safe with the walls still intact so there wasn't much of a problem with staying in a secure room.

Cavendish wasn't sure if he was open to the idea of searching alone but there wasn't really any time for arguments, "Alright. I'll close the door behind me. If you don't hear my voice, don't answer the door." He stepped out and closed the door, making sure it was secure before walking to the other rooms.

There weren't really many other rooms. At least two rooms left. He checked the other room which seemed to be the master bedroom. It was like looking at a picture or something with how still it was. It was normal as it could be for a master bedroom, aside from the covers that looked like the owners had hastily tossed around to get out of the room. He closed the door shut behind him when there was nobody in the closet or under the bed. It didn't take long to find the little girl's room considering the white door was stained with childish drawings and scribbles along with a child's handwriting of 'Sara' across the door. Carefully, he opened the door.

The room, unlike Milo's, was practically spotless. Other than scattered toys, it seemed like the room wasn't touched at all by the invasion, "Hello? I promise I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to help." God that was an awful line to start with. Even he wouldn't believe himself.

He waited patiently for a few good moments until he heard the sound of things being moved or shuffled coming from the closet. It was a solid white closet door that could be slid open rather easily. He approached the closet and was debating on whether or not to open it. After careful consideration, he chose not to. Not that he knew anything about kids but he knew enough that opening the door forcefully would only create more problems.  

“I won’t open the door unless you want me to,” That seemed like a good sentence to start off with, “I promise that my friend and I am only here to help you and your brother."

At the mention of her brother, he saw the door slide open just slightly. It was enough to see at least some of her, her blues staring up at his own as if she was able to read his personality entirely. If that was the case, he wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to close the door. Thankfully, she didn’t.

He crouched down so he was at her level, “Your brother is in his room being watched by my friend. Would you like to see him?”

The door slid open just a bit more. She nodded.

He slowly extended his hand, giving her a gentle smile, “Alright, you’ll have to trust me then with this.”

She stood still for a few moments as if contemplating her next move. She pulled the door open even further before taking his hand with her free hand as her other hand was occupied by a _Time Ape_  stuffed animal(?). He stood up, taking her hand a bit firmly as he led her out of the room. Dakota was already standing outside of the room, the sleeves of one of his jackets torn and stained with blood. His hair also seemed covered in what looked like a white powder. Milo was fast asleep, seeming unfazed by just what happened.

“Dakota what are you-”

“Cav, we gotta get outta here!” He whisper-shouted, “The whole ceiling nearly caved us in! This house is falling apart!”

“But how? The staircase is caved in!”

“Out the window or something. We just gotta get outta here, it isn’t safe.”

“So you propose we safely jump out the window carrying fragile children?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

He couldn’t really argue with that since the staircase was gone and it would be quite a fall anyway. Maybe the bushes or grass would break their fall hopefully.

Luckily, they managed to find a way. They had to go back to Milo’s room as that’s where most of the damage was created. The ceiling did quite literally cave in, creating nothing but open space in where the walls used to be.

“Are you sure nothing happened here?” Cavendish had to ask.

“Yeah, I was just sitting with him one moment and the next moment a part of the ceiling tried to crash in on us!”

Luckily a part of the structure had fallen outside the room, landing in an almost perfect ramp from how it was aligned from the ground to the floor of the room. They managed to all land safely enough for the house to completely crumble to the ground, much to their horror. It had happened so quickly that if they were just a few feet closer, they definitely would have been caved in.

“What...just happened…?” Dakota spoke up. He made sure both Milo and the girl were free from harm. Cavendish had long since picked her up and she was clinging to his neck with her stuffed animal clutched tightly still.

“I..don't even know…” He answered as he was just as dumbfounded as Dakota, “Maybe that home invasion caused extreme damages...but I think that’s the worst that could happen.”

Their pure shock didn’t stop as quickly as it should’ve because the house quickly caught on fire.

“I stand corrected,” Cavendish said more to himself than anything.

* * *

 

 

With the children asleep, they hailed a taxi to take them to the nearest motel. It would’ve been a peaceful ride if a telephone pole hadn’t crashed right in front of them, causing the car to lose control and crash into a fire hydrant. Luckily no one was injured and somehow the children fell asleep through all of it. It was odd how heavy sleepers the kids were but for the time being, they didn’t question it.

The driver apologized and offered to get them another ride. At this point, they politely declined and chose to walk the rest of the way. It was only 10 minutes of a walk with the occasional streetlight burning out for some reason. The walk was also just a bit longer since they stopped by a store that was still open for some quick baby supplies, food, and other things. They didn’t really know what they needed but bottles, formula, diapers and baby wipes seemed like the bare necessities at the moment. Even with just getting the bare minimum, it still racked up an expensive bill that they had to pay out of pocket. While they could explain the motel bill if they placed it on their work credit cards, it’d be hard to explain why they spent so much for one trip. Best to not start anything if it’s possible.

They finally reached the motel which didn’t look like a 5 star motel from the outside but given the ‘vacancy’ sign, they didn’t really have a choice as it was either that or the streets. 

The receptionist was a young woman, reading a magazine and listening to music from a portable boombox. _Holiday_ by Green Day one of them would guess. Her eyes just briefly made contact with them before turning back to her magazine for a few moments. She seemed uninterested in being of any help until they ask apparently.

They approached the front desk closer. Cavendish spoke up, “Excuse me, Miss we were wondering if we could book a room for the night?”

“ID.” The woman stated, not looking up.

Cavendish couldn’t ask Dakota to get his considering how his arm was slashed so he was careful in holding Sara as he managed to bring out his ID. In reality, it was just a blank card. He handed it to her who only glanced at it for a moment, seeming to have fallen for the trick before looking at them, “Are you two together?”

It was easy to misinterpret the words so Cavendish nodded, “Yes, we want a room together.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

It did take only Dakota a moment to realize what the receptionist was hinting at, "No, we-we aren't-"

The receptionist simply rolled her eyes. Geez, the 2000s was harsher than he expected, "Just sign the papers."

After signing the paperwork and paying for the night’s stay, they were given a key to the first floor.

The room was just as drab and dull as they expected but it was enough at least. The two set the asleep children on the bed as they began to organize the things they bought. Luckily none of the important things they bought needed to be refrigerated as the refrigerator was barely cold but at least they had a microwave.

For the first time since they found that house and the kids, they had time to think. And man, they truly did have a ton to think about.

Cavendish noticed Dakota’s wound and decided to take things one step at a time, “We should clean your wound. I bought a first aid kit so it should be enough.”

The cheap lamp blew a fuse so they had to make do with Dakota’s flashlight setting on his phone for light. It was obviously far more advanced than a 2004 phone but it still wasn’t really the best either. With it propped up on the coffee table after stacking some of the groceries, it provided a makeshift light for Cavendish to help clean Dakota’s wound.  It was really nothing more than a minor gash but it took forever to get it to stop bleeding and seemed to hurt Dakota anytime he tried to wipe the blood off. He wouldn’t complain, however. It was obvious a gash wasn’t on his mind.

He was quiet when Cavendish was simply cleaning off all the dried blood and trying to be gentle in not reopening the wound. He spoke when he knew that he would have to deal with the inevitable damn alcohol burning his skin, “What are we gonna do with two kids?”

“I don’t know...surely they must have living relatives we could find...”

“And if they don’t?”

Cavendish fell silent. Despite them not knowing each other long, it was easy to tell what the other was thinking so neither said the words.

“We‘re not gonna dump them like that.” Dakota carried the conversation, “We’re time travelers, Cav. We can use that to our advantage. We just gotta find out what happened and stop it or simply find the parents. I’m sure they won’t mind if we babysit for a while to keep them safe in the meantime.”

Cavendish may have accidentally pressed the alcohol soaked napkin on his skin a little too harshly, causing Dakota to wince in pain and for him to quickly apologize, “Babysitting two children from the 21st century? Dakota, don’t you know how disastrous this could be? If the bureau finds out…”

“They won’t. It’ll just be for a week tops I bet. Consider it an actual mission for once. Saving a family from being separated. That's some pretty badass mission right there.”

“But it could be an _illegal_ mission. I haven’t had a bad record to my name and I don’t want to start that today. Mr. Block will be more than furious if he finds out we are doing this.”

“And for what reason could he be mad for? Those kids coulda died if we left them alone. You saw the flames yourself.”

“This could very well fall under Rule 32-C under the ‘Interactions’ section.” He answered simply.

Dakota looked up at him showing that he clearly didn’t know what he was talking about, “I haven’t picked up a rule book in a long time. How am I supposed to remember that specific rule?”

“It states quite clearly that we aren’t allowed to father children with anybody from the past.”

“I’m pretty sure that means you can’t have like biological children with some prostitute in the 14th century or something. They aren’t our kids and taking care of them, for the time being, isn’t ‘fathering’ them. Whatever the hell that means. ” He air quoted with one arm, “We already got ourselves way too involved in this mess to turn back now anyway.”

Cavendish sighed, knowing he was right on that one. If it turns out the home invasion wasn’t some disruption from outside sources and part of the timeline, they may have very well destroyed it because Milo and Sara would have definitely still been in that house, very much alive until the house suddenly combusted. He didn’t regret saving them at all but it only made him wonder if there would be any consequences towards this. There was no way he could be okay with just letting them die, that was certain, “I suppose you're right but you realize children aren’t dogs. The girl, Sara, does seem to be at an age where she is able to listen and comprehend things so we don’t know what kind of trauma this night will cause. How will we explain to her that two strangers are going to help find her parents?”

Dakota fell silent, “I don’t know. But she trusted you to follow you, right? That’s a step. And we can always go to some bookstore and buy some parenting books, I’m sure there’s a ton of those we can use for advice.”

“Yes, I suppose." There wouldn't be any books on how to discreetly take care of children from the past while trying to find their parents which honestly didn't help in their situation. He chose, for once, to not point that out. He was already growing exhausted.

Cleaning Dakota’s wound took a lot longer from the conversation but he just finished wrapping up his wound with the bandages, receiving a 'thanks' from him. Cavendish look over at where the children slept. Milo was asleep soundly, the pillows they placed on both sides of him working well to protect him from rolling over. Sara was asleep just next to him with the thin blanket wrapped around her, arms wrapped around the Time Ape plush.

He hadn’t noticed Dakota had stopped talking until he heard his voice once again, “They’re cute kids. They shouldn’t be hard to handle for a short period of time.”

And for once in their short time together as partners, Cavendish decided to believe him for the first time.

It eventually proved to be a mistake.

A mistaken promise that 13 years later proved to be nothing more than a wish.


	2. School’s Out (But not Really)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Episode Referenced/Spoilers: Going the Extra Milo_  
>  Sara and Milo start their first day of school. Unfortunately for Zack, he is also starting his first day of school.
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> Note: all dialogue that is in ASL will be in italics.  
> _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so long time no see, huh? I have so many things I want to say but I don’t think Word Count will allow me to say everything. So just let me first off say that I am sorry for not updating. I do have various reasons but I’ll shorten it two:
> 
> Reason one: Original plan was to update at least weekly but with how this story is going so far, it’s not exactly an option. Due to how I’m writing/planning this, the chapters will be long and splitting them up will be only breaking the flow. 
> 
> second reason; I kind of moved on from the show entirely. Unfortunately, I did join the fandom late so while the show definitely has created a lasting impact, I can’t hold on to a possibly dead show for so long and I’m surprised I lasted quite a while honestly. I still love this show and it holds a special place in my heart but I am putting my focus on other fandoms as well. I have no idea about the status of this story in the end. I genuinely want to finish this but given how long the chapters are, it may take a while if I get around to it. Editing this story has brought back some spark of interest however so hopefully, time will tell.
> 
> I do have other stories though. Mainly one-shots that sit half-finished in my Evernotes so even for a show I’m temporarily moved on from, it’d be a shame to just leave them sitting there. Most likely I’ll dedicate some time to finish those fics up and publish them before I lay dormant in this fandom. 
> 
> I can’t promise I’ll finish this story or go through whatever I hope to do. I can promise however that whatever I end up uploading will be something I feel is worth uploading. I know this story has potential so I don’t want to force myself into writing something I lost passion for. 
> 
> This chapter would be what I had planned for the format to go. It would be taking perspectives of some characters through an episode of the show or a plot point.

 

#  Milo

By the time Milo reached the bus stop, he saw that there was already a small crowd of familiar-ish faces. They were faces of people he had rarely interacted with if much at all and for those few moments they didn't notice him. It wasn’t that they were being rude but simply he didn’t make himself noticeable...or at least yet. It was early in the morning and his presence would be noticed soon enough. That was honestly the most terrifying part.

Those few moments were enough for him to debate internally whether if this was the right decision or not. He did his best and he should just head back now while he still had a chance. Not that anyone would blame him if he did so. Well, maybe not but they'd just encourage him to try again. Essentially he had to choose between trying to go forward on his own or have people encourage him to. There was no other option.

He felt something gently nudging against his leg and he didn't need to turn around to see who it was. Still, he did anyway since he knew Diogee would just keep nudging him. turned around and gently pet him, "Hey you know you're not supposed to be here, right? Go home." 

He barked in response, obviously not pleased by the answer. 

Funny enough, it was Diogee barking that finally got the attention of the other kids. 

"Is that...Milo?" One of the kids whispered.

"Oh man, I think so." Another one answered quickly, obviously very wary, "Is he actually going to school this year?" 

"Come on, he isn't bad. You're all just cowards." The third one scoffed at the others as she walked to where Milo and Diogee were. 

"Melissa stop!" The first one said but realized his words had fallen upon deaf ears. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, "Well, it was nice knowing her." 

Melissa ignored his words as she continued walking over to Milo, who was trying to convince Diogee that school wasn't a place for dogs, "Hey Milo!"

Milo turned around to find Melissa crouching down beside him to pet Diogee, "Oh hey Melissa! It's been a while, huh?" He laughed nervously.

She continued petting Diogee who seemed to have agreed to go home and eventually turned around left, "Yeah! I've honestly missed hanging around with you in school."

"Really?" he asked skeptically, "Well, I guess coming back to school is a good thing then!... For you, at least." He eyed the group of kids huddled in a corner, staring at him in a mixture of fear and reluctance.

Melissa rolled her eyes and moved slightly so he wouldn't see them, "Well they wouldn't know fun if a llama stampede came out of nowhere. They'll warm up to you, I promise!" She could he see was nervous so she quickly changed the subject as she offered him a hand to stand up, "So how was your weekend?" 

Milo brightened up immediately at the change of conversation. Before he could answer he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see a boy in front of them. He was unfamiliar and even without the same nervous look Milo had earlier, it was easy to tell he was a new student as well.

"Hey, sorry to be a bother but this is the bus stop for..." He quickly looked at his phone, "Jefferson County Middle School, right?" 

"Yep!" Melissa answered, "New here to town?" 

"It's easy to tell, huh?" the boy answered sheepishly. He put his phone away and shoved his hands in his pockets in a vague attempt of appearing calmer than he was, “Well, my name’s Zack. And you guys are...?” 

“Melissa.” She offered Zack her hand to shake and he took it, giving a slightly surprised look just by how strong her grip was. 

Milo spoke up when Zack turned to him, “Milo. It’s nice to meet you.” He said as he shook Zack’s hand as well. 

“Oh God, he’s cursed too!” One of the kids shouted. They were huddled behind another kid with glasses who seemed to be the sacrificial lamb of the group. 

“Cursed?” Zack rose an eyebrow as he looked at the two, “What do they mean by that?” 

Milo laughed sheepishly, “Oh it’s just something to do with me. Most people use the j word or other words I shouldn’t say. I’m not exactly cursed though.” 

“He is!” The boy said as he adjusted his glasses, “You should get out before something happens.” 

“I have two shoes and you have one mouth. Wanna keep talking?” Melissa glared at him who quickly shut up along with the others. They still kept their distance however which seemed good enough to Melissa.

“Curse? The j word? I’m lost here. What’s going on?” Zack asked.

Melissa and Milo stared at each other for a few moments before Milo turned to Zack. He was whispering this time as if letting him in on a secret, “Well I don’t like to say it out loud but-“ 

His sentence was interrupted by an object that landed just barely a few inches away from Milo. 

Zack picked it up, inspecting it carefully, "Huh. It's one of those heavy-duty bungees they use to tie stuff down in construction sites."

He looked up to find that Milo and Melissa were putting on helmets as a loud rumbling sound was heard from somewhere.

"Hey, where did you get the-"

He was interrupted by the sound growing louder and louder until he could barely hear his thoughts. One of the last things he was able to vaguely hear was Milo telling him to strap on as he shoved a helmet on his head. Soon enough, a large concrete cylinder came barreling towards them.  Before he knew it, he was running alongside Milo and Melissa as the three ran for their lives as the cylinder chased them down the street.

The three kids who were watching in horror at the scene stayed silent for a few moments. 

"So...." The boy said he turned to the two, "I bet my pudding pack that we won't see them again today."

"Can it, man." The other one said. 

#  Sara

The walk from their house to the school wasn't as terrifying as Sara expected. With Murphy's Law not in the way, the journey was much quieter than usual but at least less stressful. The destination to the large building that would become her new school was terrifying. She said nothing about her fears though it was apparent; Cavendish and Dakota knew her well enough to understand without her needing to say a single word.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She could hear Cavendish speak up, turning to him as he continued, "You can always go back to that online school if you want to." 

She seemed to ponder for a moment as she stared at what could potentially be her new school. To say she was terrified was simply an understatement; being stuck in the same building for 8 hours with little to no breaks between classes surrounded by people who may or may not potentially bully her was a daunting thought. It was one that she stayed up all night over and despite all that, she knew what she wanted. She looked at the two and nodded before beginning to sign, “ _ I want to try. _ ” Keyword: try. 

“ _ Okay. _ ” Cavendish paused for a moment, " _ Do you know what to do if someone is trying to bother you? _ ” 

" _ I grab the nearest object and hit them over the head WWE style? _ ” 

Cavendish stared sharply at Dakota who merely laughed it off, “ _ Dude, it’s high school. Were you Mr. Popular there? _ ”

There was silence from Cavendish for a few moments before he sighed in defeat, “ _ Okay, only use violence as a last resort. You should report to the nearest teacher or principal in case anything happens. _ ” 

Cavendish's option felt a lot less fun, but she didn't sign anything otherwise it might result in a lecture or something, “ _ I will but I don't think I'll need to. I'll be fine. _ ” Though she didn’t know if she truly believed in her own words. Looking at Cavendish and Dakota showed that they didn't either. Her words disappeared the moment she signed them. 

Dakota smiled at Sara regardless, " _ Hey, no matter what happens today you'll always have us if you need us. Just have fun and make some friends out there. It might not even be as scary as we think it is."  _

_"Yeah, you're right.”_  Sara glanced back at the building with students still hanging around or heading inside. It was still scary but it wasn't as scary as before at least, " _I guess I better go inside and figure out where my homeroom is."_

 _“Good luck, kiddo. You’ll do great out there.”_  Dakota hugged her.

“ _Good luck as well.”_ Cavendish hugged her right after, “ _We may be coming home late from work. If it’s the case, then just heat the dinner in the fridge.”_

Sara pulled away after a few moments. She was a bit disappointed at hearing they might come home late, but she didn’t let it get too far ahead of her, “ _ Got it. I don’t want to be late for my first day of school, so I better go. Good luck at work.” _

She waved goodbye as she left them and headed to the school. With every step she took, whatever confidence she had was immediately washed away from the anxiety that was already taking over. She knew she couldn’t turn back and back away, though. There was no way she would ever sleep tonight if she did so. Not that she would sleep tonight regardless but regretting backing away from school was something she didn’t want to lose sleepover.

There was still approximately ten minutes before homeroom began. She checked on her phone once again for the class schedule. Homeroom was apparently in 203, which could mean it was on the second floor. Since she figured it’d be on the second floor, she’d just have to find the stairs and hope to God it wasn’t like those long hallways she’d seen in shows.

But there were no stairs nearby. And honestly, she was already lost from walking around the first floor trying to find those damn stairs. As people began filing out for their homerooms, it became apparent to anyone that bothered to look at her that she was lost. 

She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, “Hey, are you lost?”

Sara turned around and saw a boy in front of her. It didn’t take less than a moment to realize who he was.

Neal.

From the comic shop.

For some reason, it never really dawned on her that he might be going to the same high school as her. And she never thought until now that there was the possibility she would be interacting with him outside of his workplace.

Neal already recognized her from the moment they looked at each other, “You buy from the comic shop, right? The one that always pre-orders all the _Doctor Zone_ comics?”

She nodded.

Thankfully Neal had worked there long enough to learn that Sara never spoke, if rarely. It was obvious he was exactly an extrovert however with how he averted his eyes for a few moments and gave a nervous smile, “I guess it’s finally nice to see each other outside of that store. I haven’t seen you outside of the store though; you new here?”

She nodded once again.

“Oh, welcome to school then!” Neal laughed awkwardly, “If you want, I can help you find where homeroom is.”

She showed him her phone that contained the class schedule. Neal looked at it for a moment who seemed to already know where all her classes were. “You share some of the same classes as me, including homeroom. They’re not all that far from each other but I’ll still help you around. Let’s get going to homeroom before the late bell rings.”

She followed him past the lockers and other classrooms slowly being filled with students. He showed her where that Godforsaken staircase was and reaching homeroom was a lot quicker than she had anticipated as the first bell had just rung. There were students either standing or sitting, using their phones or talking to people. They didn’t notice two more kids added to the class but it still made Sara feel anxious. She took a seat next to Neal as it seemed like the safest thing to do honestly.

Neal glanced at Sara and smiled at her, “Hey don’t worry. Everyone here is…” he paused trying to find the right word, “Tolerable and Mr. Burnett’s a nice guy. You’ll love this class.”

She was only able to give a small smile back as it seemed like that was the only thing she had in her vocabulary to give. And maybe to anyone who didn’t give her a second look, it would seem that way. 

The late bell eventually rang and as if on cue, a teacher and a few other students walked in the door. He was an average looking man; who looked a little bit like Rivers Cuomo from _Weezer_ with just how similar he gave off the impression he was just an average man, but she secretly wondered if there was more to him than that.

He adjusted his tie as he set his briefcase down before he looked right at the class, “Alright you little shits which one of you keyed my car this morning?”

While she expected a usual good morning or even just him jumping into the lesson, what she didn’t expect was for those lines to come out of his mouth. It was a shock to her, but Neal seemed to be trying to hold in laughter along with the rest of the class.

There was a moment of silence before Mr. Burnett reached into his briefcase and pulled out a bag of keys. He seemed slightly amused by this despite his tone, “I know the key to the drawers is one of these keys so nice try. Whoever doesn’t confess will be doing a one-man show of _Romeo and Juliet_ in front of the whole school. Or better yet,” He opened the bag of keys and let the pile fall onto his desk, “Whoever finds it first will get to skip next week’s quiz. Begin.”

As if on cue, a lot of the students ran towards the desk and began fighting with another for more room as they attempted to find the right key to put in the keyhole. A few other students didn’t participate either because they didn’t care, or they knew their grades would be high enough to not resort to it. She noticed that Neal had joined the others, tossing key after key when it didn’t fit. She didn’t join in and realized she probably seemed way too confident on her future grades or didn’t care, both of which she didn’t want Mr. Burnett to see her as either. 

As he looked at the students who chose to remain in the back, he caught eyes with Sara momentarily. Setting his coffee down, he approached her with his tablet, scanning the class roster, “Ah, Sara Murphy, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, welcome to the English class, Sara. My name’s Mr. Burnett. Don’t worry, the class is not normally like this. Well,” he looked at his tablet to check the date, “Mondays usually. And listen, you don’t need to talk at all. Just talk whenever you’re ready. Participation is a factor in the grade but I just want to see you understanding the lessons and completing all the work. If you just do those two things, you’ll get an easy A. Can you do that?”

She smiled at his response. She hadn’t expected for school to start so smoothly at first. It was honestly a huge relief to her. 

“Great, I look forward to teaching you the rest of the school year. I better go back and see who found the key.” He set _The Great Gatsby_ at her desk along with the class syllabus, “I'll explain more about this class later today but the syllabus is a head start. It’ll explain the objectives, quizzes, and all that stuff. If you have any questions, just see me after class or shoot me an email.”

She mouthed ‘thank you’ in response to him. He signed ‘you’re welcome’ before turning around and seeing who got the key.

As it turns out it was some kid named James that found the key so he got that easy 100.

The rest of the time in class was spent with Mr. Burnett explaining the class syllabus, objectives and all that. He may have gone into a bit more detail than he needed to but it wasn’t unnoticed by Sara. Surprisingly, despite all the chaos and his beginning introduction, there were only twenty-five minutes left until class ended. He allowed students to do what they wanted so she spent the time rewatching a  _ Doctor Zone Files  _ episode with Neal.  

Her English class finally ended without much of a problem but it did mean that she had to move on to a completely new class with a completely new teacher. Even though she felt nervous with her second class, she remembered that Mr. Burnett was a genuinely nice and fun teacher so hopefully it meant teachers would be as understanding as he was.

Neal, Sara’s self-proclaimed helper, walked her to her next class which they thankfully had together. The moment the math teacher walked in, however, she realized she was simply wrong. Very wrong. 

#  Milo

The sewers never actually smelled as terribly as Melissa and Zack had thought. There was a faint stench of chlorine through the air as they trenched their way through the sewers with Milo being the guide. The headlamp had helped illuminate the still terrifying darkness that was only in the back and almost in front of them. 

"So...would anyone mind explaining to me what the hell is going on?" Zack interrupted the silence that once filled the air, "That giant cement cylinder, the fire, and the wolves...it's like there's this cycle of calamity that follows you everywhere you go!"

"Well, that's because there is. Jinx, remember?" Milo pointed out, "Though I guess the better word for it is Murphy's Law. Y'know, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong?"

Zack stopped in his tracks, "Murphy's Law? You're saying that you have Murphy's Law like it's some sort of disease?"

"It's not a disease! It's just...something I was born with." 

"Something you were born with? Is it like a gene or something?" 

"I guess you could say that. I'm not sure how it works; only I have Murphy's Law, my sister doesn't." 

"Haven't your parents-" 

Melissa punched him in the arm at that exact moment before he could continue. Zack yelped in pain, "What was that for?"

"You ask too many questions," Melissa answered simply. 

"Melissa, it's fine; he's our friend!" Milo said a little too late but the sentiment was there, "I live with my foster parents until my biological parents are found. It’s kinda a long story about that so I’ll spare the details but only my biological parents know about that stuff. My foster parents tried to fill in the gaps but they don’t know everything and that’s okay! Half the fun’s in discovering who you are yourself...I think.” 

Zack fell silent at that. How could a person possibly speak after hearing something like that? There were so many questions running through his head at the moment but he realized that most likely he would receive the answers in time. And it was just because Melissa seemed more than ready to punch his arm again, “I’m sorry about that. I should’ve been...a little more considerate.” 

“It’s okay!” Milo said cheerfully, “Sure I may not know everything but what I do know is that this is a lot more fun than taking the bus like everyone else, don’t you think?” 

“I guess you’re right about that.” Zack answered, “Now come on and tell us how to get outta here!”

 

#  Sara

 

Sara never thought of herself as a hateful person. She got annoyed at people, sure, but she never felt she could hate any person. She never hated the people that canceled her favorite shows or the people that were mean to her out of pure ignorance. She was indifferent towards them and simply figured hating wasn’t in her nature. That was until she entered her first day of high school did she learn the true meaning of hate. 

Having a teacher like Mr. Burnett was a one in a million chance so she was lucky when she had at least four teachers who she knew she would like at some compactly. The rest of the other four, however...

“Sara, we should report what happened. There’s no way we can let some teacher like that get away with what he did!” Neal seemed a lot angrier about it than she was. Which may have been saying something.

Sara would’ve signed but she knew Neal wouldn’t have understood. She took out a spare notebook and flipped to a random page where she wrote, “I’m pretty sure he’s on tenure.” 

She slipped the notebook to Neal who read it briefly, “Well yeah but still. You should try and switch classes at least, I can take you to the guidance counselor if you want.” 

She shook her head as she wrote, “But what if I get a teacher worse than him?”

"But you still can't just accept it and be stuck with him." He said angrily as he took a bite of the school food. Almost immediately, he regretted it and began coughing at the taste, "...God, this is worse than I remember." 

Sara smiled softly as she offered him her half of the sandwich. She wrote, "Yeah but it's not like every teacher's gonna be nice. Or understanding. If things get worse, I'll tell someone about it." 

"Alright, if you say so." Neal didn’t sound very convinced but he decided to let it slide. He took a bite of the sandwich Sara had given him, “this is actually pretty good. What’s in this anyway?” 

Before she could answer, she noticed a small group of students approaching their table. One of the students were giggling as they approached her, whispering something that she couldn't quite catch before one of them spoke to her, "Hey, just a quick question; are you deaf?"  

She paused from taking a bite of her sandwich just to look up at them. Honestly, she was confused. Surely, she must have misheard them?

They giggled again like they were in on some inside joke that she wasn't aware of them. Another one chimed in, "Are you deaf? Like you can't speak?" 

She realized now what they meant. And man did it take her every fiber of her being to just not throw her sandwich at them. 

“Hey, leave her alone, will you?” Neal rolled his eyes at them. 

“It was just a question.” One of them said defensively, “All she needs to do is answer.” 

She chose not to answer, however. She began eating her sandwich and pretended like they didn't exist. 

It seemed to aggravate them even further, causing one of them to get closer to Sara. Sara still didn't move and continued to eat her sandwich.

"Are you like stupid or something? I asked you a question!" 

He paused when he felt something was thrown at him and saw that it was barely touched school food that was once in front of Neal. A lot of students around their table began 'oooh'ing in response and some even began recording in case it would result in some good content.

"I heard the Principal is pretty strict with seniors this year, especially for those who are behind in classes." It was all Neal said as he continued eating and looking away from them.

Neither of them would see the reactions of the group but it was clear under a few cursed mutters that they gave up and walked away. The students in their table spoke to each other in chatters, a few giving a 'sorry about them' thrown in between. 

"Sorry about them, Sara. I swear almost everyone is pretty chill. The rest though..." He sighed at the last part.

"Yeah, I heard the principal's actually gonna expel one of them this year if he doesn't graduate anyway." One of the students next to Sara interjected, giving a sympathetic smile, "Don't let them bother you at all. You're a junior right?"

She nodded. 

"You got past the freshman and sophomore hell so there's that. Yeah, the seniors will bother you like those assholes but just stick by the rest of us and we'll try to use actual  _ non-violent _ situations to address them." She glared at Neal who merely shrugged. 

"Well you're supposed to throw food in the trash, and he's trash so forgive me as I forgot my contacts this morning." 

"Honestly even without contacts, I thought the same as well." A student next to Neal answered, "Oh right, I'm gonna forget to say my name so it's Walter but everyone calls me Wally."

The girl next to Sara spoke up right after, "Name's Kristine but just call me Kris. A  _ Doctor Zone Files _ fan right?"

Sara had forgotten she had her Time Ape shirt on for school. Well, it was more like it was one of the few things she wore regularly so she had chosen that. She nodded, managing to find the notebook that was in the middle of the table before writing down, "Yeah, I've been a fan for practically my whole life."

Kris sighed in relief, "Oh good! I thought you were one of those people who just wear band t-shirts but never listened to any of their albums. Now then, did you guys read the newest comic?" 

Neal nodded, "Yeah, I think the cliffhanger was kind of a stretch though." 

"How can you say that? They've been hinting at it for the past three issues!" Wally answered as if he had just personally offended his own mother.

"Didn't issue 874 hint that?" Sara wrote down. 

"See! Someone knows their  _ Doctor Zone Files _ stuff!" Kris grinned. 

The rest of the lunch period was spent debating over the comic's cliffhanger, an upcoming movie, and almost any other fandoms they could cram in a 45 minute lunch period. By the time it was over, they had agreed to meet up tomorrow after school for ice cream as that's when Neal wasn't at work. 

It was funny just how much in 45 minutes Sara ended up learning a lot. 

One, she should prepare an extra sandwich for Neal tomorrow. Apparently, he can’t cook. 

Two, those seniors, in particular, were assholes and most likely she would never hear the end of it.

Three, teachers weren't the most understanding in the world. Especially the older ones. God, they need to retire. 

Four, seriously people could be the biggest assholes in the world...but at least there were people like Neal, Kris, and Wally to make up for it. 

#  Milo

By the end of the school day, there was not only a flooding incident but also a random alligator and turtle incident. Obviously whatever precautions the school had was no match for Murphy's Law so by the time 8th period rolled around, they allowed the students to be dismissed early.

Milo expected to be hated by the students for ruining their first day back to school but everyone seemed unphased by it. In fact, they seemed excited by it.

"Listen I know you might be the devil's son but I've gotta say you've made art class a lot of fun now! I now truly understand what it means to be inspired." One of the students said to Milo as he attempted to unlock his locker. It simply fell to the floor and Milo accepted its fate. 

"Oh really? Well thanks, I think!" Milo smiled nervously as the student walked away.

The boy with glasses who he quickly learned was named Bradley approached Milo right after, "Listen I don't care if it's some curse or whatever, Murphy's Law can kick its ass when it stands in the way of me and my perfect reputation in the school. You hear that?" 

He nodded, "Of course! Good luck then!" He really didn't know what to say to that if he had to be honest. He just smiled and nodded like he usually did and hoped Bradley would get the point.

Bradley simply frowned but left quickly afterward either because he wanted to avoid Murphy's Law or he saw Melissa and Zack heading Milo's way. 

"Hey, Milo! How'd you think your first day of school went in the end?" Melissa asked as she helped rest the locker door next to another. 

"Uh, a lot better than I expected! Well, the turtles were a surprise though." He answered as he finished putting his things away. He opened his backpack and grabbed a screwdriver. He managed to align the locker door's hinges together and began screwing them back together. 

"Yeah they may have been a surprise but at least I got new pets now." Zack answered as he held up a small box that had two turtles in it, "I gotta prepare a habitat for them when I get home but I'm sure my parents won't mind."

"I'm pretty sure they're the school's pets that got loose." Melissa pointed out.

Zack shrugged, "Well, they're mine now. If they weren't eaten by the alligators, that is." 

Milo finished fixing up his locker and made sure it worked properly before closing it securely. Hopefully tomorrow it wouldn't fall. He glanced at the two as he gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck,  “Listen I’m sorry about what happened earlier. And for ruining your backpacks and possibly creating a fear of heights. If you guys want to keep your distance from me, I totally under-“  

He was interrupted by Melissa and Zack hugging him, which caused them to fall to the floor as Milo wasn’t prepared for the weight. Even though they got off Milo just to sit up, they still hugged him. 

“Milo, just shut up and accept our hug!" Melissa answered, "There's no way I'd stop being friends with you just because of today!" 

"Yeah, I'll admit that today was the scariest moment of my life but honestly it was fun! And maybe it's the leftover adrenaline talking but you were right about earlier, going through Murphy's Law is much more fun than just taking a stupid old bus." Zack added in. 

Milo hugged the two back tightly as he didn't say any words. Admittedly, he had spent the rest of the day worrying about whether or not Melissa and Zack still wanted to be friends with him. He realized now that he didn't have to worry about it. They were his friends after all and friends weren't going to abandon him for who he is. 

"Thanks, guys," Milo said quietly. 

The three eventually pulled away from each other when they realized that time wouldn't stop for even a sentimental moment and eventually they had to go home. Students were still leaving, some were giving weird looks but they didn't care.

"Come on, we gotta catch the bus home." Melissa spoke up as she looked at her watch, "Or we missed it by five minutes."

"Oh no, whatever will we do?" Zack answered sarcastically as he picked up the box of turtles he had set aside earlier. 

"Yeah, guess we're gonna have to walk. Like normal people." Melissa remarked, giving a sly grin. 

The two offered Milo a hand as he gave a bright smile at both of them. He adjusted his backpack, making sure that he didn't leave anything behind before walking with them out of the school, "Well, better hope there isn't a pistachio truck or something on the way home." 

#  Dakota 

 “Geez, who woulda thought they’d be dead by fucking pistachios of all things.” It would be the first thing on Dakota said when they finally went to their room after spending time with the kids. The door was closed so they wouldn't overhear and he had turned on the radio as a flimsy way to block out their conversation. Whether it worked or not was uncertain but they wouldn't ever talk about anything they overheard so he assumed it works. 

“It’s really a tragedy.” Cavendish muttered as he paced around the room, “Those two would've made great first-class time agents but I don’t understand why Mr. Block set us on pistachio duty. We’re second class agents for God’s sake, not third or fourth class!”

“There’s a fourth class?” Dakota rose an eyebrow. He chose to lay down in bed, pillows propped up against his head so he could still look at Cavendish without having to stare at the ceiling.

“You know what I mean! Can’t he see we are better off saving the world by protecting important people or something like that?” 

“Well yeah, but-" 

"Pistachios, bloody pistachios of all things! Not an extinct animal like a giraffe or even a dodo bird but pistachios!" 

"I think you're looking at this in the wrong light, Bal." Dakota pointed out, "We’ve been assigned to pistachios on this day, year, month and area. And do you know who else happens to be here on this day, year, month, and area?" 

Cavendish stopped pacing and looked at Dakota. Immediately there was a wave of guilt across his face, "Milo and Sara. Of course! How could I have forgotten?"

"Maybe because you're too busy ranting over pistachios." He chuckled at his comment. 

"Well, I still think we have much more potential than just protecting pistachios but it's not as bad as a task if it means we get to be around the kids more often."

"Exactly! It’s their first time they’ve gone back to school. They need us, y’know. And from what they've told us over dinner...it really looks like they need all the help they can get.” 

“Yes, that's true. It seems like they thankfully have people to turn to now. Milo has Melissa and Zack and Sara has Neal, Kris, and Wally. They seem like good kids." 

"Well, we know Melissa and Neal have been friendly with them in the past. I just hope the others are the same." 

Cavendish nodded as he continued pacing around. Dakota groaned and threw a pillow at him, "You need to sleep. Stop thinking." 

"that's like telling me to stop breathing." Cavendish grabbed the pillow to throw it back at Dakota.

"Alright, stop thinking whatever it is your thinking. Think about puppies or something." He threw the pillow back at him. 

Cavendish grabbed the pillow but didn't throw it back at him as he knew it would result in a long weird pillow fight, "Well I was just wondering about something." He sat down on the edge of the bed this time, tapping his foot almost impatiently.

Dakota had a feeling he knew about what Cavendish was thinking. It wasn't like Cavendish acted this way over that certain thought. He acted that way with anything that bothered him, big or small. It was odd how spending so much time with one person can end up learning things about them that takes years to master, "Well, what was it you were wondering about?"

"About their biological parents...do you think we'll finally get more information on them this time?"

Dakota paused. He didn't look at Cavendish and instead looked up at the ceiling. He had hoped the moments of silence that would pass between would be awkward enough to not have to answer but he realized that this wasn't the case, "...I don't know. Maybe?" 

It was always awkward talking about Milo and Sara's parents. It left an uncomfortable aftertaste that was difficult to get off at times and this conversation would be one of them. 

"And what happens then if we finally do? What's next?" That was a question that always crossed their minds but they were too afraid to even ask it. Maybe Cavendish's new job as a pistachio protector was already going through his head. 

"We'll figure it out eventually. Like we always have. I'm sure things will work out." Even Dakota wasn't sure if he believed that. It seemed like the right words to say though, right? 

"I hope so...we'll need to find a way to focus on more information about them now that we have more time here." 

"I know." Dakota said shortly, "I'm getting kinda tired so just turn the lamp on if you wanna stay awake, please?" He reached for his blindfold to put on as he took off his glasses. Normally he'd wait for Cavendish to turn on the lamp so the transition wouldn't be as painful but he felt the few moments of pain were well worth a rather painful conversation.

He was more than wide awake but he still got himself in a comfortable position just to appear like he was trying to sleep. It was impossible to though when so many thoughts ran across his mind. Cavendish lit a match. Dakota simply threw it at the dead grass. 

He heard Cavendish turn off the radio and shut the lights off. The silence was even more awkward now without the music playing. He felt Cavendish lay beside him, a few feet apart as this was their respected space. He didn't know if Cavendish was going to sleep too or planning out the day's events. All that he did know was that Cavendish was beside him and he had to get up early to make breakfast. He spent the rest of that night mixing up what he should make for breakfast and what would happen in the future.

 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I honestly feel like Neal is a bit OOC (not that it's hard to tell given the little screentime he was given-) but this is my first time ever writing Neal as well. So his personality may be adjusted and fixed later on which I'll let people know if I ever go back and edit!  
> 2\. Zack named the turtles after two of the greatest heroes he knows; Sonic and Mario.  
> 3\. I am changing the title of this story-While I do adore the song I based the title off, it just never really sat well with me and I never felt like it belonged. I won't be changing the title of this story until I upload the next chapter. The new title will be 'We Should Consider the End'. It's still a lyric from the song and I feel fits so much better.
> 
> Thanks, everyone for reading this far! Constructive criticism is appreciated and until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, I finally finished the prologue-
> 
> Now then, thanks so much for reading this! I mainly decided to post this earlier than expected due to the fact I already had this in the drafts and the expiration date was coming up-So I apologize if things end up being delayed but hopefully, I should be able to post at least weekly or bi-weekly! You're more than free to give your suggestions or whatever in the comments-I'm always looking for improvement! 
> 
> Aaand thank you so so much to DaCavendishTime for taking time out of her day to draw. Really, I can't thank her enough so if you want to give your compliments, please feel free to check out her [Amino](http://aminoapps.com/p/oele7j) and [Deviantart](https://www.deviantart.com/potatochisp)linked in her name! 
> 
> If you guys also ever have any questions, headcannons you wanna share or whatever, please feel free to find me on [Amino](http://aminoapps.com/p/ssbc8m8) and/or [Tumblr](https://insomniac-pens.tumblr.com/)!


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